Method for preparing fibers.



PATENTED FEB. 26, 1907.

T. G. SAXTON.

METHOD FOR PREPARING FIBERS.

APPLICATION FILED DEO.22. 1905.

Boaaeeqanaac fin 5M W l 1 am a K v i? UNITED STATES PATENT orrroiaTHOMAS GUN N I SAXTON, OF LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY,ASSIGNOR OF FIFTY- ON EONE-HUNDREDTHS TO CHARLES J. BRONSTON, OF LEXINGTON,

KENTUCKY.

METHOD FOR PHEPARENG FIBERS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

' Patented Feb. 26, 1907.

A li ati fil d December 22, 1905. Serial No. 293,043.

To 11,2] whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS GUNNI SAX- TON, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Lexington, in the county of Fayette and State ofKentucky, have invented new and useful Improvements in Methods forPreparing Fibers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a method and apparatus or machine for crushingor dismembering the stalk or woody part of hemp, jute, ramie, manila, orother similar fibers and removing therefrom all matter except the fiberby compressed air or other compressible gas delivered thereto to adaptthe fiber for use in textile manufacture.

The preferred apparatus or machine in which the method is practicedembodies crushing or dismembering rolls preferably having spiral ribs oranalogous surface projections to which the stalk or woody part of thehemp, jute, ramie, manila, or other similar fiber is fed, and theserolls may be disposed in multiple series in sequence to effectivelyseparate the fiber and subject the latter to the action of compressedair, and thereby produce a superior fiber substance for generalInanufacturim purposes. To render the crushing or ismembering of thestalk or woody part certain and beneficial, particularly in view of thefinal cleaning of the fiber by the use of com ressed air, it ispreferred that the rollshave ongitudinal sliding movement one withrespect to the other. The compressed air is applied to the fiber at suchpoint as to be most effective in performing a cleaning operation and.toremove leaves or other parts detrimental to the use of fiber fortextile purposes. In the use of air or as for this purpose it isnecessary that it be ighly compressed before delivery or application, so

that the explansion of the air'or gas when liberated in t e outlet meansof the machine through which the fiber is passed will result in a morethorough and complete permeation of the fiber by the air or gas to driveout small particles of leaves or other material that may cling to thefiber.

In the accompanying drawin s a preferred form of the apparatus ormadhine is illustrated, and therein Figure 1 is an end elevation of theapparatus, particularly showing the feeding-orifice and portions of therolls. Fig; 2 is a side elevation of the apparatus or machine, showing apart of the mechanism in dotted lines. Fig. 3 is a plan View of a pairof the rolls, showing the means for operating the same. Fig. 4 is alongitudinal vertical section through the center of the tubular outletfor the compressed air or gas. Fig. 5 is an enlar ed transverse verticalsection through the tu ular outlet for the compressed air or gas. Fig. 6is a detail horizontal section of a portion of the machine.

Similar numerals of reference are employed to indicate correspondingparts in the several views.

The numeral 1 designates a suitable inclosure, in which are disposed uper and lower pairs of rolls 2 and 3, as shown Figs. 1 and 3 and clearlyindicated as to position by Fig. 2. The rolls 2 and 3 are preferablyformed with spiral ribs or projections by grooving said rolls, as at 4.It will be understood, however, that in some instances these rolls mayhave other surface projections, the object being to provide means forthoroughly and effectively crushing or dismembering the stalk or woodypart of the material treated. The rolls 2 and 3 are respectivelv mountedon shafts 5 and 6, the one shaft 5 having keyed thereon a driving-gear7, which is held in continual mesh with a similar gear 8 on one of theshafts 6, suitable driving means cooperating with either of the gears 7or 8 to impart motion to one of the latter, and from the one gearengaged motion is transmitted to the other. On the opposite ends of theupper and lower pairs of shafts 5 and 6 are spurgears 9 and 10, thespur-gears 9 meshing with the gears 10 immediately therebelow, as shownby Fig. 2; but the gears 9 and 10 do not mesh with each other. Theobject of this arrangement is to rotate the upper and lower pairs ofrolls in proper directions, as indicated by the arrows shown in Fig. 2,and to facilitate the indrawing of the hemp, jute, ramie, manila, orother material into the a paratus or machine between the rolls. T eupper rolls 2 preferably remain fixed so far as longitudinal movementthereof is concerned; but the lower pairs of rolls 3 have their shafts 6slidingly disposed and operated by means which will be presently setforth to longitudinally shift the said lower rolls 3 in alterna- Themechanism for imparting longitudinal I sliding movement in alternationto the rolls 3 ernbodies cam-wheels 11, one on each shaft 6, each of thecam-wheels being formed with a spiralcam-groove 12, and the grooves ofboth wheels are engaged by a horizontally-disposed arm 13, fixed on theupper end of'a support 14, the latter'having suitable means cooperatingtherewith for securing it to the frame of the machine. The grooves 12 ofthe cam-wheels 11 are so arranged in the pri ne organization of themachine'that the rolls 3 will be longitudinally shifted in alternation,and such shifting action-of the lower rolls 3 will take place withoutinterfering in the least with the rotary movement of both the upper andlower sets of rolls or dismembering the gears 7 and 8 or the spur-gears9 and 10 of the respective pairs of rolls. By the shifting operation ofthe lower rolls 3 it will be observed that the material treated will notonly be subjected to a longitudinal crushing or mashing force when fedbetween the rolls, but also to a transverse dismembering operation ordisintegration, with material advantage in setting the fiber free fromthe stalk or woody part of the material operated upon.

The front end of the machine or apparatus is formed with atransversely-extending feed opening or slot 15 of suitable dimensions,having a feed-hopper or guiding inclosure 16 arranged about the same. Inlongitudinal alinenuent with the hopper or inclosure 16 the oppositeendof the apparatus or machine is provided with a suitable tubularoutlet 17,

which'connects at itsinner end with a compressed-air-applying trunk ordevice.

The compressed-air orgas applying trunk or device extends transverselyacross the rear end of the machine and involves in its organization ahollow inclosure 18, having a compressed-air conduit 19 connected to thecenter of one end thereof and adapted to be Centrally disp;se

' urinal-of the'tubularoutlct or guide 17. The

attached to any suitable air-compressing means or to a com ressedair orgas reservoir.

within the hollow inclosure '18 is an elongated outlet-opening 20,located'between air or gas duets 21, extending longitudinally'of the airtrunk or applying device and in communication with the con duitl Theairor gas ducts 21 do not have communication with the outlet-opening 20,so'=that the'fibe'r'leaviiig the-adjacent pair of rolls'5 and 6 may passthrou hthe opening 20 into'the inner terminal of t e tubular out let or,uiile 17 From the ducts 20 a series of srn'a l'bcres'or orifices 22extend at inner angles and communicate with the inner terorifices 22 ofthe upper and lower ducts are arranged at reverse angles or convergetoward the center of the tubular outlet or guide 17, as clearly shown byFig. 5, and the air or gas escaping from said orifices crosses orintersects and thereby passes through the fiber from above and below thelatter. The orifices 22 of the upper and lower ducts also preferablyhave an inward angular trend from opposite extremities of the trunk orthe ducts, as clearly shown by the arrows indicated in Fig. 6, so as ,toconcentrate the leaves and other matter removed from the fiber towardthe longitudinal center of the tubular outlet or guide 17 and insure aneffective outdriving of such removed material and also to concentratethe air or gas on the fiber as it is forced through the tubular outlet.The air or gas also operates to expel the fiber from the outlet 17simultaneously with the cleaning operation, and though the preferred airor gas applying device has been described and is shown it will beunderstood that the use of any air or gas applying means is contemplatedhaving the operatlve characteristics just specified. The ducts 21 serveas distributing-channels for the air or gas, and the latter is deliveredto thesaid channels under a high pressure, and as it expands in thetubular outlet or guide 17, which is in the form of an inclosing casing,it immediately resumes its normal pressure, and this expansion causes adismembering or separation of the stalk or other matter from the fiber.

In some operations one machine or apparatus maybe all that is necessary,but in other operations a number of similar machines may be demanded,and it is proposed, if-found desirable, to arr'an e the machine inmultiple series and have t e tubular outlet or guide of one machinedirected into the hopper or feeding inclosure'16 of another machine, andso on through the series. In the use of a series of machines the fiberwill pass from one into the other and be subjected'to similar operationsand by such continuous treatment will, when it arrives at the outlet ofthe last machine of the series, be found to be in superior or bettercondition for manufacture,

The air or gas used in connection with the foregoing apparatus iscompressed materially, so that when it is delivered to the crushed fiberit will operate to separate the latter and thoroughly separate orshatter the fiber, and the outward flow of the air re moves the woody orforeign parts without removing any of the fiber. The fiber is sustainedin a fiume of air and under such conditions is thoroughly treated. Thisoperaticn is in contradistinction to air under ordinary atmosphericpressure or atmospheric air under blower pressure, which is notsufficient to arrive at the result sought.

lOO

Having thus described the invention, What is claimed is y l. Theherein-described method, consisting of crushing or dismembering thestalk or Woody part of hemp, jute, ramie, manila, or similar fibers,subjecting the crushed or dismembered stalk t0 the action of compressedair or gas, and maintaining the crushed or dismembered stalk in aconfined current of the air or gas for a certain length of time.

2. The herein-described method, consisting of crushing or dismemberingthe stalk or Woody part of hemp, jute, ramie, manila or similar fibers,subjecting the liberated fiber to the action of compressed air or gasdelivered thereto at invariable intersecting angies, and maintaining thecrushed or dismembered stalk in a confined current of the air or gas fora certain length of time.

3. The herein-described method, consisting of crushing or dismemberingthe stalk or to the action of compressed air or gas, and

maintaining the liberated fiber in a confined current of the air or gasflowing in the direc tion'of the length of the fiber and expanding aboutthe latter, whereby the fiber is completely permeated by the air or gasto drive out small particles of leaves or other material that may clingthereto.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing Wit- SAKTON.

